Shushan Earthly Immortal

Chapter 333 The Southeast Shocks, the Coastal Frontiers of China

After chatting for a while and enjoying the local delicacies, the group left the restaurant to continue their sightseeing. Gu Yi wanted to take Xin Shu out for a while, to make up for the regret of not being able to spend time with her over the years. Feng Jihu also wanted to travel with Pu Jixuan and express their feelings of separation. Therefore, everyone decided to go their separate ways.

The lion wanted to go to a cool place, so it was led north by a guide. Bai Yongliang cautiously asked if he could see the books and archives of the Yellow Sea Kingdom, so he was led into the inner city by the guide.

The third sister was much bolder. Pointing to the underwater volcano behind the Dragon Palace, she said she wanted to go up the mountain to take a look. The guide looked hesitant, then took out a conch shell, asked for permission, and was finally granted permission.

After everyone else left, only the escort remained by Cheng Xinzhan's side. The other escorts all wore plain blue robes, but he wore a green robe with a floral pattern, suggesting he was an official of some rank.

"May I ask how the messenger is addressed?"

The guide bowed with his hands clasped in a humble manner.
"Since it's a private escort service, the master can just call me Xiao Liu."

"Little Six, are you the sixth in line? Are you and the other companions all brothers?"

Cheng Xinzhan asked.

Xiao Liu then answered,

“According to your wise eyes, my mother gave birth to nine brothers in one pregnancy. Three of them went into the military and six went into the civil service. I am the sixth son and I am currently on duty at the Court of State Ceremonial.”

Cheng Xinzhan then praised it.

“A virtuous mother educates her children, and they all become pillars of society. With loving guidance and effective methods, blessings will last for generations. The envoy’s brothers are all outstanding, and your mother must also be a model of virtue and grace.”

Upon hearing this, Xiao Liu's face flushed red, and he exclaimed excitedly,

"I am deeply grateful for the Master's high praise. We are of humble rank and dare not claim such honors, but our dear mother has indeed raised us brothers with all her heart. When I return home, I will certainly convey the Master's praise to my mother and make her happy."

Cheng Xinzhan patted him and said,

"Let's go explore the south side."

"Yes."

The two walked slowly southwards. Cheng Xinzhan didn't say where they were going, so Xiao Liu just described whatever he saw.

Cheng Xinzhan listened attentively, nodding occasionally. After walking for a while, he said,

"Xiao Liu, I was born on land and only know that the seas of Shenzhou are vast, but I don't know much about the specifics. You work in the Honglu Temple of the Yellow Sea Kingdom, in charge of internal and external relations and liaising with the four seas. I'm sure you know a lot about it. Why don't you tell me about it?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Liu asked in return,
"What topic would you like to hear about, Master?"

Cheng Xinzhan then said,
"How about we start with the bigger picture, and talk about the territories and borders of the four seas?"

Xiao Liu nodded. "That's not difficult," he said.

"Then I will speak with the Master of the Classics. However, I am of low rank in the Court of State Ceremonial and my knowledge is limited. If I say anything incorrect, I hope you will forgive me."

Cheng Xinzhan knew he was being modest and smiled.

"please say."

So Xiao Liu said,

"Since the collapse of the Heavenly Pillar, the southeast of China has slumped, making the northwest high and the southeast low. All the great rivers flow to the southeast, and the spiritual energy is like water. Therefore, since ancient times, the southeast has been beautiful and rich, with countless famous mountains and rivers, while the northwest is sparsely populated and mostly poor mountains and bad waters."

Cheng Xinzhan was pleasantly surprised that Xiao Liu, who claimed to have limited knowledge, actually began his speech with a grand overview of the Chinese landscape. He then gestured for Xiao Liu to continue with an expectant look.

Encouraged by his teacher, Xiao Liu became even more confident and continued speaking.

"The Divine Continent is extremely vast, but over millions of years, spiritual energy has shifted southeastward. Cultivators followed the spiritual energy and migrated southeastward as well, leaving the other three directions as desolate and uninhabited lands. Thus, the original Great Divine Continent has become the Small Divine Continent of today."

"I don't know what the original Great Shenzhou looked like. I only know that the current Little Shenzhou roughly resembles a golden rooster pacing around."

"In present-day China, beyond the Northeast lies the Arctic, a land of frigid ice and snow that has remained frozen for millennia; beyond the Northwest lies the endless Gobi Desert; beyond the Southwest lies the boundless, ancient forests. These places are sparsely populated with spiritual energy and are of unknown vastness, so for millennia, no cultivator has ventured there to explore them. Perhaps some have, but none have reached their very end."

"In ancient times, the Great Divine Continent must have been surrounded by seas on all sides. There may have been the concept of the four seas in the east, west, south and north, but it was certainly different from today."

"Now, the land of China is barren on three sides, with only the southeast coast being rich in spiritual energy. Therefore, the four seas mentioned in the world today are all located in the southeast coast."

After talking for a while, Xiao Liu finally mentioned the Four Seas, but Cheng Xinzhan seemed a little puzzled and said,

"Isn't there another Western Sea that's not in the southeast?"

Xiao Liu nodded and continued.

“What the sutra master said is true, but what we often refer to as the four seas are actually five seas. The four seas in the southeast—the Bohai Sea, the Yellow Sea, the East Sea, and the South Sea—are connected and form a truly boundless ocean. Only the West Sea is special; it is located in the northwest, surrounded by high mountains, and is a completely inland sea.”

Cheng Xinzhan nodded. He had seen the Western Sea before. When the Western Kunlun Mountains were destroyed, he traveled to the Northwest on a flying boat belonging to the sect. He saw a huge blue sea surrounded by snow-capped mountains in the clouds, which greatly shocked him at the time.

"The Bohai Sea is surrounded by Liaodong, Yanzhao, and Qilu, and is located at the northernmost end of the southeastern sea area, hence it is also called the North Sea. The Bohai Sea is smaller than the Western Sea and is also the smallest of all the seas."

"The Bohai Sea and my Yellow Sea are neighbors. After my Dragon Lord attained enlightenment, he wrote a poem that reads: 'The Old Iron Mountain peak plunges deep into the sea, the Yellow Sea and the Bohai Sea are separated from here. The westward rushing current surges like clouds, the southward thin mist rises with the wind.' This clearly defines the boundary between the two seas. This refers to the line connecting the southernmost tip of the Liaodong Peninsula and the northernmost tip of the Qilu Peninsula, clearly dividing the two seas. "As for my Yellow Sea, in fact, there was no such term before. In ancient times, the Yellow Sea always belonged to the East China Sea. However, since the Song Dynasty, the Yellow River has repeatedly changed its course in the Qilu and Jinling areas, carrying sand into the sea and turning this area of ​​the northern East China Sea yellow. At that time, my Lord entered the sea via the Huai River, attained enlightenment as the Azure Dragon, and separated this sea from the East China Sea, calling himself the Dragon Lord of the Yellow Sea and establishing the Yellow Sea Water Kingdom. Only then did the term Yellow Sea officially come into use in the world."

Cheng Xinzhan listened and nodded repeatedly, thinking to himself, "So that's how it is."

Xiao Liu continued,
"Further south of the Yellow Sea lies the East China Sea. Even though my lord separated the Yellow Sea from the East China Sea, the remaining East China Sea is still larger than the Yellow Sea. However, unlike the Yellow Sea, which is a self-contained country under my rule and is calm and peaceful, the East China Sea is in complete chaos."

This was exactly what Cheng Xinzhan was interested in, so he listened attentively.

Xiao Liu started by talking about territorial divisions.

The division of the Yellow Sea, East China Sea, and South China Sea is inseparable from three large islands: Jeju Island, Yiju Island, and Qiongzhou Island.

"The line connecting the Yangtze River estuary and Jeju Island marks the boundary between the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea, with Jeju Island belonging to the Yellow Sea; the line connecting the Yuan River estuary and Yizhou Island marks the boundary between the East China Sea and the South China Sea, with Yizhou Island belonging to the East China Sea. Qiongzhou Island is the western boundary of the South China Sea and also belongs to the South China Sea. As for the waters further west of Qiongzhou Island, they border the wild and ancient forests, which are equivalent to the wild lands at sea."

"By the way, there is one more thing I need to clarify with the Master. The Bohai Sea is surrounded by land on three sides, and its eastern boundary intersects with the Yellow Sea. The Yellow Sea borders Shandong and Nanjing to the west, extends to Liaodong to the north, intersects with the East China Sea to the south, and ends at the Lelang Peninsula to the east. Therefore, both the Bohai and Yellow Seas are near-shore seas, and water transport connects them to the Central Plains through the Grand Canal. The spiritual energy comes from the west and is intercepted by the Lelang Peninsula, so the spiritual energy has not been lost and remains abundant."

"However, there are no large islands surrounding the East China Sea and the South China Sea, so the spiritual energy flows eastward and is lost. Therefore, the outer boundaries of the East China Sea and the South China Sea are about six thousand miles from the coast, which is roughly the distance from the western boundary to the eastern boundary of the Yellow Sea. As for the area six thousand miles from the coast, we sea people call it the distant ocean. It is a wild and desolate place with thin spiritual energy, where cultivation is impossible."

Xiao Liu explained in great detail. Cheng Xinzhan closed his eyes and thought for a moment, then said,

"That means the East China Sea extends west to Kuaiji and Fujian, north to Jeju Island and borders the Yellow Sea, south to Yizhou Island and borders the South China Sea, and its eastern boundary is 6,000 li from the coast, covering an area of ​​over 800 million hectares!"

Xiao Liu nodded.
"Yes, Master, the East China Sea is more than twice the size of the Yellow Sea."

Cheng Xinzhan's eyes flashed. This was still a sea area rich in spiritual energy. Such a vast territory, if placed on land, would be as large as the entire southeastern land south of the Yangtze River and east of Wuling! Such a spiritual land, yet it is now occupied by an overseas demonic sect. How could this not cause people to hate?

"Xiao Liu, you just said that the East Sea is in a mess. Could you tell me in detail?"

Xiao Liu naturally agreed and then said,
"In the East Sea there are two great sages, one called the Great Sage Who Overturns the Sea and the other the Great Sage Who Supports the Heavens. Master, you can tell from their names that they are not from good families. Neither of them can compare to my lord, who is an enlightened dragon. They are both demons of the sea!"

Although Xiao Liu was merely a minor civil official, because he was born in the Yellow Sea Kingdom, he dared to point fingers at the two Great Sages next door. He continued,

"These two demons divided the East China Sea equally, with the Thunderstorm Sea as the boundary. The Thunderstorm Sea is located roughly opposite the mouth of the Oujiang River. It is a long and narrow sea area where thunderclouds are dense and never stop. It is a natural secret realm. I have heard that there is a unique spiritual energy in that secret realm called the 'Dragon Roar Water Thunder Energy'."

"The Thunderstorm Sea happens to divide the East Sea in two, so the two demons used this as a boundary and used their magic to set up a thundercloud barrier along the east-west direction, completely separating the two seas. North of the thundercloud is the territory of the Great Sage Who Overturns the Sea, called the Azure Sea, and south of the thundercloud is the territory of the Great Sage Who Supports the Heavens, called the Sand Sea."

"These two demons do not govern the seas, nor have they established a kingdom or regime. They simply divide the seas into sections like bandits and assign them to their demon kings. The Azure Sea is divided into eleven smaller seas, plus Fusang Island, which are governed by twelve demon kings. The Sand Sea is divided into nine seas, plus Yizhou Island, which are governed by ten demon kings."

"The East Sea has never been peaceful. There are more than twenty demon kings in total. Those in the outer sea want to squeeze into the near sea, while those near the near sea want to expand their territory. They fight each other all day long. In addition, the Azure Sea and the Sand Sea are not on good terms either. The two major forces often clash."

"Moreover, since both Great Sages are laissez-faire, their demon kings are even less capable of governing the seas. It's a law of the jungle, with bandits running rampant, and the entire East Sea is a mess. That's why I said it's a complete mess over there."

After Xiao Liu finished speaking, he looked at Cheng Xinzhan.

Cheng Xinzhan listened attentively. When he saw Xiao Liu stop, he was puzzled and asked,

"What's wrong, Xiao Liu? Keep talking."

"Master, there are a total of twenty-two forces in the East Sea, and the South Sea is even more chaotic. Should we mention them all?"

Xiao Liu looked troubled. It wasn't that he couldn't talk about it, but if he wanted to explain everything clearly, it would probably take three days and three nights.

Cheng Xinzhan suddenly realized and smiled.
"From what you just said, the demon kings of the outer sea all want to go to the inner sea because the spiritual energy in the inner sea is more abundant?"

Xiao Liu nodded.
"Yes, and there's more than one reason. The rich spiritual energy is only one aspect. Near the sea, being close to land, the five elements of spiritual energy are more complete, unlike the more singular ones in the open sea. Moreover, rivers flowing from the land into the sea carry not only water transport and spiritual energy, but also all sorts of strange things, perhaps even sunken shipwrecks or hidden treasures, which we've encountered before. Also, there are many land-based cultivators near the sea, and these sea demons love land-based cultivators the most; killing them allows them to steal treasures and satisfy their cravings. Some even secretly disguise themselves and go ashore to plunder before escaping back into the sea."

"There are many reasons, but sea monsters definitely prefer to go to the near sea."

Cheng Xinzhan nodded and continued,
"Then please tell me about the sea areas near the East China Sea and the Demon King, shall we?"

Xiao Liu naturally nodded in agreement. This would reduce the amount of talking he could do, so he said...

"The East China Sea is significantly different from our Yellow Sea and Bohai Sea. There are many small islands along the coast of the East China Sea. These islands are all under the control of land-based cultivators, and some land-based cultivator families have even established sects on the islands."

"Therefore, we start counting the Yellow Sea and Bohai Sea from fifty li offshore, while the East China Sea starts counting from two hundred li offshore. The South China Sea is even more different. According to the information I have, the South China Sea and the Southern Wilderness are now connected, and there is no distinction between near-shore ownership. Moreover, Yuyang is still fighting fiercely with the demons of the South China Sea for control of the coastline."

"Therefore, the nearshore waters of different seas are divided differently, and the scripture teacher must first be informed of this."

Xiao Liu explained it in great detail, and Cheng Xinzhan nodded repeatedly as she listened.

"Counting from north to south, the nearshore waters of the East China Sea are, in order, the Qiantang Sea, the Ten Thousand Corpses Sea, the Dadu Sea, the Mermaid Sea, and the Xiyi Sea. The first three belong to the Canghai Sea, and the latter two belong to the Shahai Sea."

Previously, there were only two sea areas near the East China Sea: Qiantang Sea, which is directly opposite the mouth of the Qiantang River, and Dadu Sea, which is directly opposite the mouth of the Lingjiang River. Wanshi Sea appeared later and gradually expanded.

"Oh, Master, there's something else I forgot to tell you. The sea demon kings are seizing the nearshore waters because they're aiming for the estuaries of rivers, as these areas have the richest spiritual energy and offer the most opportunities. However, these fourth-realm demon kings only dare to seize the estuaries of small rivers and major canals; they wouldn't dare to occupy them because they can't withstand the immense water flow."

"No one in the world dares to occupy the mouths of the rivers and streams. The Ji River has disappeared. Our lord has occupied the mouth of the Huai River, and the true dragon of the South Sea has occupied the mouth of the Pan River. This is the greatest in the world."

Cheng Xinzhan nodded repeatedly, truly surprised that the aquatic tribes held so many different views about the coastal areas. However, it seemed he had underestimated the Green-Robed Ancestor before!
Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The map is here. Today's word count is a bit low, so I don't dare ask for votes in the title. I'm just quietly asking here!
　Requesting monthly votes and recommendations! Comments and messages are welcome!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)